JANUARY: Cleanup and investigation continued into a major train derailment that saw eight cars containing soybeans and fly ash plunge into 40 Mile Creek, Dec. 26, 2014. An investigation that wrapped up in November blamed a broken heel block in a CP Rail line as the cause of the derailment.
Parks Canada revealed none of the cubs born to Banff’s collared female grizzly bears the previous year have survived. Both bears 138 and 130 emerged from their dens the previous spring, each with two cubs in tow, but the female bears headed into the den in fall without their cubs. It’s believed larger male grizzlies killed the four young cubs toward the end of the breeding season.
FEBRUARY
The Rocky Mountain Outlook revealed the Conservative federal environment minister’s office tried to hide the fact a grizzly bear was struck on the Canadian Pacific Railway line in Banff National Park in May 2014.
According to documents obtained under Access To Information, local Parks Canada staff tried to be proactive in getting information out quickly to the media about the strike because of public interest in the status of grizzly bears – a threatened species. The documents showed the minister’s office did not want to go public with it. A three-day investigation by the wildlife branch determined the bear had likely survived.
A new 64-room hotel in downtown Banff was approved by the Municipal Planning Commission, but not without controversy. It replaced the 23-room Homesteads Inn, owned by Fuji Starlight Express.
Less than a year after its launch, Banff Centre Radio aired its final show on Feb. 27.
An avalanche swept Canadian Armed Forces Sgt. Mark Salesse off the classic Polar Circus ice climbing route into a gully 100 metres below on Feb. 5. It was a six-day operation to locate and recover Salesse’s body. The mission was a waiting game for rescuers because of dangerous avalanche conditions and weather.
Banff gave businesses and residents a financial incentive to plug into solar. Council approved an incentive program to support installation of several rooftop solar photovoltaic panel systems. It’s being paid for with $300,000 from the Town’s environmental reserve.
MARCH
The federal government announced it will spend $6.4 million over five years on a program to return plains bison to Banff National Park. Following planning and environmental assessments, 30 to 50 disease-free bison from Elk Island National Park will be released into a fenced paddock in Panther River Valley. The bison will be released in 2016.
Long-time Bow Valley resident and experienced mountain guide Robson Gmoser – the son of legendary mountaineer Hans Gmoser – was killed March 10 in the Roger’s Pass area after being caught in an avalanche.
Banff’s badass bear has been a busy boy. While doing DNA analysis to look at Banff’s grizzly bear population, Parks Canada confirmed male bear 122 is the father of at least five young bruins, and he’s likely fathered more.
The Banff community mourned the loss of well-known local snowboarder, 32-year-old Martin Desrosiers, who was killed after hitting a tree on the last run of the day at Sunshine Village on March 23.
Banff council approved a new master plan for redevelopment of Banff’s recreation grounds, which called for a permanent skateboard park, a children’s adventure playground, skating rink, amenities building with a potential concession stand.
APRIL
Citing many reasons, including whether it meets the needs of the community, Banff Lake Louise Tourism announced it will cancel the annual Banff National Park Bike Fest.
Seventy per cent of glacial ice in Alberta and British Columbia could disappear by the end of this century due to human-caused climate change, according to a new study published in Nature Geoscience.
A bedroom for rent in Banff – yes, one bedroom only – was listed for $1,500. Banff is experiencing a severe housing crunch, having experienced a zero rental vacancy rate for the last couple of years.
The 200 block of Bear Street is getting a major makeover to make it more inviting and vibrant to residents and visitors. Town council approved a three-year trial project to turn Bear Street into a woonerf, a shared-use street that focuses on pedestrians. As part of the project, Banff’s summer farmers market will also move to the parking lot.
The Town of Banff cracked down on illegal tourist homes. The municipality took proactive enforcement action against several illegal accommodation operators who advertised their residential homes on vacation websites, such as VRBO and AirBnB.
Banff decided to double Roam public transit on Sulphur Mountain for the summer in anticipation of increase visitor numbers and continuing traffic troubles.
Banff politicians passed controversial legislation to allow existing built commercial space to be transferred to another property that’s been demolished or no longer used as commercial – while still respecting the commercial growth cap in Banff. But as part of bylaw 346, council won’t allow commercial space to be transferred out of the industrial compound in a bid to retain critical services for residents over the long-term.
MAY
A surprising NDP victory in Alberta ousted a 44-year-old Progressive Conservative dynasty and saw the NDP’s Cam Westhead win the Banff-Cochrane riding with 43 per cent of the vote, or 8,428 votes cast. He defeated incumbent MLA Ron Casey of Canmore, who was running for the PCs.
Police warned people in Banff about the dangers of the illicit drug fentanyl following the sudden death of a local person that may have been linked to the dangerous drug.
An ammonia leak at the Fenlands recreation centre on May 11 caused the evacuation of about 20 people and sent one worker to hospital with minor burns. The flammable toxic gas leaked from the rec centre’s refrigeration system during maintenance work.
JUNE
Lake Louise ski hill proposed a controversial major expansion plan, including expanded winter ski terrain, a new upper mountain lodge and expansion and relocation of its summer sightseeing program to the top of Whitehorn. It’s proposed as part of the draft site guidelines. Parks ended up quietly approving them the day before the federal election was called.
Figures released by Parks Canada reveal the number of tourists to Banff National Park was up 10.4 per cent to 3.6 million visitors in 2014 – the busiest in 15 years for Canada’s flagship national park.
Two experienced climbers spent a long, cold night on the highest peak in Lake Louise after getting lost on the classic East Ridge of Mount Temple, June 20. They got off route in the Black Towers section of the climb, where route finding can be notoriously challenging.
Banff’s development appeal board vetoed a controversial redevelopment and expansion plan for the Homestead Inn, sending hotel owners back to the drawing board. The quasi-judicial board overturned MPC’s decision to give Fuji Starlight Express a development permit to tear down and redevelop the existing 27-room hotel into a new 63-room hotel.
JULY
It was scorching hot in the Bow Valley this summer, with the mountain towns of Banff and Canmore breaking several record temperatures.
An illegal fire that got out of control and came dangerously close to a campsite along Lake Minnewanka trail forced the evacuation of eight backcountry campers by boat on June 27.
A black bear ripped the side of a tent trailer where a family with two young children was sleeping, forcing wildlife officials to close the campground at Rampart Creek in Banff National Park.
The Town of Banff hired an independent contractor to study long-term solutions for Banff’s parking and traffic woes, including the feasibility of an aerial gondola transit system. Stantec Consulting Limited was hired to do the $70,000 study.
A 38-year-old woman was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Icefields Parkway on July 7 – the second fatality along that busy stretch of highway within a few weeks. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and her injured husband and daughter were sent to hospital.
On June 15, one person died and five others were injured in a crash on the Icefields Parkway near Weeping Wall.
Several fires burned in the mountain national parks, forcing Parks Canada to put a fire ban in place because of dangerous wildfire conditions. The fires included a blaze in Jasper National park, a fire in the remote Clearwater River Valley in Banff and a smaller fire in Kootenay. Banff would normally see about 60 millimetres of rain in June, but got half of that.
Johnston Canyon trail was closed for almost a week after a young boy was critically injured when a tree fell on July 9. Parks conducted a risk assessment and removed up to 30 trees, then went back in fall to do more work.
The Town of Banff decided to spend $1 million to buy equipment to truck its own garbage to the landfill. They cited bringing the service in-house would lead to savings to ratepayers in waste utility rates.
The federal government announced $117 million for Banff, $44 million for Kootenay and $62 million for Yoho. In Banff, $26 million will go towards replacing existing wildlife fencing along the Trans-Canada Highway from the park’s east gate to Sunshine Road and rehabilitate some of the fencing between Sunshine and the Banff-Yoho boundary. Another $67 million goes towards widening Bow Valley Parkway, including the addition of paved shoulders.
A four-year project to rid Rainbow Lake of non-native rainbow trout came to an historic end, with the reintroduction of threatened westslope cutthroat into the lake.
One of Banff National Park’s former collared research bears, bear 144, was euthanized by provincial wildlife officials for killing several sheep and llamas near Sundre.
AUGUST
The writ was dropped for the Oct. 19 federal election, with incumbent Conservative MP Blake Richards, the Liberal Party’s Marlo Raynolds, the Green Party’s Mike MacDonald and the NDP’s Joanne Boissenault all fighting for the Banff-Airdrie seat.
An historic peace treaty signed in Banff on Aug. 13 by chiefs from the northern U.S tribes and Canadian First Nations marked a new era of unification while honouring the restoration of plains bison to Banff National Park.
Parks Canada employees in Banff were subjected to an unprecedented communication lockdown during the federal election. Interviews were routinely denied, including for operational issues like rescues or public safety matters such as wolves hunting deer in the Banff townsite.
The Town of Banff initiated the trial of a two-way cycling greenway along Banff Avenue. It received mixed reviews over the course of summer and the Town of Banff is examining next steps.
Banff town council reversed a decision from earlier in summer to deny a permit for a farmers market at the train station, and approved having a market one day on each weekend until the end of October.
SEPTEMBER
Banff’s tourism industry voiced strong opposition to changes made by the Conservatives to a federal government visa program for Australians wanting to work and travel in Canada. That, combined with changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program, had a big effect on Banff, which is suffering from a labour shortage.
Work is underway on a $26 million redevelopment of the upper terminal of the popular sightseeing gondola on Sulphur Mountain. Brewster Travel Canada is demolishing the upper terminal to construct a brand new building, complete with new café and restaurants, a 48-seat interactive theatre and new conference space. If all goes according to plan, the gondola will reopen on May 1, 2016 with limited sections of the terminal open. The building is expected to be fully open on Aug. 1 next year.
Blake Richards was the latest in a long list of Conservatives candidates trying to dodge or dictate the terms of all-candidate debates in the leadup to the Oct. 19 federal election. Richards said he would attend if Banff and Canmore joined forces to host one debate. He also wanted a final stamp of approval on the format, not liking open mic and unstructured question periods.
A wolf pack was hunting elk on the edges of the Banff townsite. A closure was put in place Sept. 20 after a hiker came across four wolves feeding on an elk carcass on the banks of Forty Mile Creek, just 20 metres off Fenlands Loop trail. It’s the same pack that killed a deer in the townsite earlier in summer.
A 19-year-old from Calgary fell off the top of Twin Falls in Yoho National Park that prompted an intensive search and recovery operation. The body of Jeremy Prendergast has still not been found.
OCTOBER
Banff’s YWCA planned to develop a community response team to address sexual violence against women in the Bow Valley. The plan will include a range of services from awareness, prevention and education through to direct, free counseling and crisis support. Bow Valley Victim Services reported that intimate partner violence and sexualized assault are two of the most frequent occurrences responded to by program volunteers.
A two-day search for missing hikers in Banff National Park came to a happy ending when Parks Canada rescuers found them safe, but tired, in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, about 20 kilometres away from where they were expected to be.
Increasing illegal use of drones in protected areas, including Banff National Park and Kananaskis Country, raised concerns about the effects on wildlife and on people’s privacy.
More than 110 former Parks Canada employees call on federal opposition parties, if elected Oct. 19, to launch an investigation into what they believe has been politically motivated silencing and firings of government scientists under the Conservative government.
In an unprecedented open letter to opposition leaders, former employees and high-ranking managers warned the firings, including that of Jasper’s chief conservation manager John Wilsmhurst, have led to deep fear within the agency.
Banff and Lake Louise have a new lobby group to advocate for issues facing hotels, bars and restaurants. The Banff Lake Louise Hotel Motel Association became the Banff & Lake Louise Hospitality Association.
While the Liberals won a majority government in the Oct. 19 federal election, sitting Banff-Airdrie Conservative MP Blake Richards convincingly took this riding, with 42,227 votes (63.4 per cent of the vote). The Liberal’s Marlo Raynolds received 26.1 per cent of the vote. NDP’s Joanne Boissonneault received 6.8 per cent of the vote and the Green Party’s Mike MacDonald was fourth with 3.8 per cent of the vote.
After the election, Raynolds, a Canmore resident, went on to become chief of staff for Catherine McKenna, minister of environment and climate change. Richards is now the opposition tourism critic.
NOVEMBER
Two Parks Canada employees who were charged, convicted and subsequently fired for swimming at the historic Cave and Basin – home of the endangered Banff Springs snail – were given their jobs back. In August, the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board reinstated Kristy Hughes and Stephan Titcomb to their positions at Banff Upper Hot Springs almost two years after they were fired, but without retroactive pay.
About 20 crabapple trees were cut down in the Banff townsite this fall as part of a joint Parks Canada-Town of Banff voluntary program to prevent opportunistic bears heading into town in search of food.
The Town of Banff declared an overnight parking ban in the downtown core to help crews do a better job of snow clearing this winter.
The Town of Banff planned to develop a strategy for moving towards a goal of 100 per cent renewable energy community-wide by 2050. It’s dedicated $40,000 to develop the plan.
A famed Scottish climber had a lucky escape after being attacked by a grizzly bear defending its den high on the slopes of Mount Wilson in Banff National Park on Nov. 29. Greg Boswell, considered one of the most talented climbers of his generation, was climbing with Britain’s Nick Bullock when the bear attacked him directly above steep cliffs about 2,200 metres up on the 3,261-metre mountain.
DECEMBER
Town council passed a $36.3 million operating budget, which will lead to a 4.28 per cent tax increase for residents – an overall increase on an average residential dwelling of less than $8 a month. Council also approved $9.5 million worth of capital projects for 2016.
A 26-year-old miraculously escaped with his life when he fell through the ice at the top of Bow Falls and was then flushed beneath the surface for 40 metres before popping out at the bottom of the notoriously treacherous waterfall.
Banff’s tourism industry called on the federal government to pilot a seasonal tourism worker program next year to help deal with the area’s critical labour shortage.
Parks Canada released six lots on Deer Street and six lots on Cave Avenue to the Town of Banff for the construction of below market rental housing. The release fee was $500,000. The lands had a market value of about $20 million.
